A wildfire west of Modesto in Stanislaus County yesterday spread to 1,000 acres. Fire officials say the blaze has burned through dense brush into a restored habitat area for the endangered riparian brush rabbit.
Bill Morrison of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said firefighters were gaining the upper hand by 9 p.m. last night and allowed small fires inside the perimeter to burn themselves out. The blaze threatened several homes but no structural damage was reported.
Its cause is under investigation.
This post was last modified on 01/31/2009 4:44 pm